Caption: Solar cell production. Photovoltaic cell being held by a worker's gloved hand during the manufacturing process. Photovoltaic cells, the basic components of solar panels, contain silicon, a semiconductor material that can absorb energy from sunlight and convert it into an electrical current. Here, the photovoltaic cell is shown with a coating that allows more efficient absorption of sunlight, but without the electrodes that are added later. This photovoltaic cell has been manufactured at a facility operated by the French company Photowatt Technologies.